Cricket: All-rounder shining amid the Trafalgar Road gloom.

Byline: PAUL EDWARDS 

EVEN if Southport and Birkdale CC are relegated from the Premier Division of the Liverpool Competition this afternoon, the season can still be reckoned a success for Dale Cranston, one of the most promising all rounders to have emerged from Trafalgar Road in recent years.

Cranston's ability has led to him being an ever-present in the Competition's President's Trophy side, but behind the development of an outstanding young player lies a more serious story about two sides of life in the new South Africa.

Cranston was born in Johanesburg and only came to live in Southport four years ago when the very real fear of crime and a desire to find a better standard of education for their two sons caused his parents to return to Britain from a country which Dale still remembers with some fondness.

``South African society is very passionate about sport, '' he recalled. ``And in many ways we had a good life there. I started playing cricket at the age of four and also played softball, hockey and rugby. The climate is ideal for most sports and we even had a swimming pool in our back garden. ''

A chance meeting in Birkdale village led to Cranston's arrival for nets at Trafalgar Road and the player is generous in his praise for the help he has received over the last four years.

``My cricket's improved immensely at S&B, '' he said simply. ``I've had one to one coaching with Ken Standring over the winter and Nilesh Kulkarni has helped with my bowling. My bat-ting technique is better, as is my fitness, and I've also received help on the mental side of the game -- getting ready to play an innings for example. ''

The results may appear modest -- Cranston is close to acheiving the targets he set in April of 25 wickets and 350 runs -- but the potential identified by the Competition's selectors is umnmistakable.

Victory for S&B at Lytham on Bank Holiday Monday looked a remote possibility until Cranston's innnigs of 46 transformed theFIXTURES. TODAY. Littlewoods Gaming Liverpool Competition Premier League: Firwood Bootle v Northern, Huyton v Leigh, Lytham v Wallasey, New Brighton v Maghull, Sefton Park v Northop Hall, Southport v Ormskirk. First Division: Caldy v St Helens, Colwyn Bay v Liverpool, Fleetwood Hesketh v Highfield, Haydock v Hightown, Newton le Willows v Wigan, St Helens v Formby, Worsley v Orrell RT.

game. How many 18-year-olds have hit Marcus Sharp for six over long on for example? All this has been achieved in Cranston's first full season in the first team after the player chose to spend most of 2003 taking the greater batting and bowling opportunities available in second team cricket.

As for his President's Trophy appearances, Cranston confesses to a few butterflies.

``It was nerve-wracking at first but I settled down soon, '' he said. ``It helped that the captain, Phil Luxon, put his faith in me by trusting me to bowl important overs and I've also learned from the accuracy shown by Maghull's John Murphy. ''

After this breakthrough season Cranston aims to raise his standards in 2005 and he is getting used to the pressure of first team cricket. ``Some days I'm nervous, others, I'm more relaxed, '' he admitted. ``But on big occasions, nerves are only to be expected. ''

This afternoon, Cranston will be aiming to help S&B achieve the victory over Ormskirk that should ensure his side stays in the Premier League but Ian Cropper's team appears very vulnerable especially since the two clubs currently propping up the rest, Maghull and New Brighton, meet at Rake Lane in a match where the winner should be safe but a draw would almost certainly relegate both sides.

``But positive results in the matches involving the bottom three clubs could endanger Northop Hall and Huyton and the mathematical permutations of the various results have enthralled cricketing anoraks over the past week. ''

CAPTION(S):

Dale Cranston outside Southport and Birkdale CC; Picture: GARETH JONES